Tumble Science Podcast for Kids

“Do dogs think and feel the way we do?” We all know dogs can’t talk. That’s why scientists have to come up with creative ways of asking our canine companions what’s going on in their minds. We’ll find out why dog cognition scientist Zachary Silver put on a play for dogs - which inspired us to create Tumble’s very first dog radio theater production! Just call us “The Tumble Dog Players.” It will all make sense by the end of the episode. This is the final episode of Tumble’s 8th season! But stay subscribed for some special treats over the summer.  Hear more from our interview with Zachary Silver on our bonus interview episode. It’s available for listeners who pledge $1 or more a month on Patreon.com/tumblepodcast. Free resources, including a transcript, are available on the blog on our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com Check out our new Tumble t-shirts and merch: https://tumblepodcast.threadless.com/ Also check out courses from Science Mom, one of our sponsors this week: https://bit.ly/TumbleMom

Can we hear and touch the stars, if we can’t see them? Yuma Decaux is trying to put the night sky into everyone’s hands, through technology and engineering. Find out how stargazing captured Yuma’s imagination when he was six, and how losing his sight inspired him to explore the cosmos in a whole new way - making astronomy accessible to everyone.  Astreos, Yuma’s app, is currently in Beta. That means that when you try it out, you can give Yuma feedback on how to make it better! Download it on iOs here: https://astreos.space/ Listen to our bonus interview episode with Yuma to learn more about how he developed Astreos and what accessibility means to him. You can hear it when you support us on Spotify or on Patreon at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. There are free resources, including a transcript, about this episode on the blog on our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com.  This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2148711 - Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts.  Sounds in the episode are courtesy of Astreos and Cricket Ambi by VMan533 on freesound.org

When did smartness begin? We’ll find out how a neuroscientist blends up brains, and cracks the case of the Tyrannosaurus Rex smarts! Suzana Herculano-Houzel helps us answer listener Penny’s question by explaining how “smartness” might not mean what you think - and how all animals have shown off their intelligence over time. Help us out by taking our listener survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tumblepodcast Listen to our bonus interview with Suzana on our Patreon when you pledge just $1 a month or more! patreon.com/tumblepodcast.Learn more about Suzana and her work on the evolution of intelligence the blog on our website, www.sciencepodcastforkids.com. We apologize that the cover art of the episode is not a scientifically accurate portrayal of a T.Rex! We know that they likely did not wear graduation caps.

Have you ever wondered what bird you’re hearing? We’re going to discover how to recognize birds by their sound - and what that means for science. Trevor Attenberg is an environmental scientist and science communicator who learned to identify birds without sight, by their sound alone. He takes us through his journey to becoming a birder and a scientist, and shares how you can learn to recognize birds by their sound.  Learn more about Trevor, and find his recommended resources for birding on the blog on our website, www.sciencepodcastforkids.com.  This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2148711 - Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts. Take our survey to help support the podcast! Just go to https://bit.ly/TumbleScienceSurvey and spend a few minutes of your time answering questions.

How big is the universe? And how do we know? It's a question that puzzled astronomers for centuries. They had no way to measure distance in space - until Henrietta Leavitt showed them how. Henrietta Leavitt was a "computer" in the 19th century, before there were computers, and she made an incredible discovery that would help change the way people thought about the universe - forever. Modern-day astronomer Karen Masters helps us tell her remarkable story. If you like this episode, you'll love our free audio course, "Cataloging the Universe" where you'll learn much more about how Henrietta Leavitt's discovery made a big difference in astronomy - plus, you'll become a skywatcher yourself! "Cataloging the Universe" is more than a podcast. It’s interactive! Each episode - or lesson - in the series contains activities to complete while you listen. Plus, you’ll get discussion questions, graphic organizers, and a star journal to keep your observations in. Check out the series and download all the resources at our website! Hear more from Karen Masters in the bonus interview episode available to Patrons, when you pledge just $1 a month or more on our Patreon to support the show! We have free resources available on our blog to learn more about the episode.

We're working on a special project that we'll announce in our next episode! Enjoy one of our favorite episodes while we make it ready for you.    Why and how do cats purr? That’s what Reid wants to know. It sounds like a simple question, but it leads us to a deep challenge: Can we ever understand cats? To find out, we launch a full-scale cat purr investigation. You’ll hear from a puzzled veterinarian, a scientist who studied her cat’s annoying purr, and the author of purring.org, the premier cat purr research website. It’s a purr-fect episode for everyone who’s curious about cats.

Why are sloths so slow? We’ll find out how one sloth scientist got crafty and discovered why slowness is a sloth’s secret to survival. Rebecca Cliffe, founder of the Sloth Conservation Foundation, shares the story of her quest to study these sneakily stealthy creatures, with the help of a special backpack. What she finds will definitely surprise and delight you! If you're like Marshall, you might even laugh/cry.  To hear more about Rebecca’s slothsome adventures, listen to our bonus interview episode! It’s available to Patrons who pledge just $1 or more a month on patreon.com/tumblepodcast.Learn more about sloth research and conservation with the free resources on the blog on our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com - where you’ll also find a free transcript for the episode.

Explore the sounds of ocean science on a sound scavenger hunt! Tune in as oceanographer Amy Bower takes us to the sea, to show us how she uses sound to study ocean currents and make ocean science accessible for blind and visually impaired people. Listen up and help us search for clues beneath the waves to reveal the secrets of the underwater realm!Ocean data sonifications courtesy of Dr. Jon Bellona at the University of Oregon, and the Accessible Oceans project.Learn more about Dr. Amy Bower in our bonus interview episode, available to Patrons who pledge just $1 or more a month to support Tumble, at patreon.com/tumblepodcast.We have free resources to keep exploring the world of ocean science and data sonification with Amy Bower. They’re on the blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com, along with a free transcript.This episode is the first in a series featuring blind scientists. The material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2148711 - Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

A Black botanist is on a mission to discover the hidden stories of Black plant scientists throughout history. Shawn Abrahams shares how Black people are responsible for vanilla cupcakes, and the microscopes you use in science class! Plus, hear how Shawn started their own journey to becoming a botanist and historian, with the help of Wikipedia.Hear more stories from Black scientists featured on Tumble! Check out our blog post for a list of episodes.Learn more about how Shawn became a botanist on our bonus interview episode, available to Patrons who pledge $1/month on Patreon.com/tumblepodcast.Dig deeper into the stories of Black botanists on the blog on our website at sciencepodcastforkids.com.Want to hear science stories in Spanish? Listen to our Spanish show, Tumble en Español! Hosted by Nuria Net and Alvaro Ramos.

Join us on an Arctic adventure as we head out onto the sea ice with a polar bear scientist! Andrew Derocher shares exciting stories of flying in helicopters, getting bit by a polar bear cub, and discovering how polar bears are surviving in a warming world.Andrew explains what happens when polar bears move into human towns, in the bonus interview episode. It’s available to Patrons who pledge just a dollar or more a month on patreon.com/tumblepodcast.Teachers! Find a toolkit to share polar bear science with students, on the World Wildlife Fund’s WildClassroom.org. A transcript for this episode and other resources are available on our website, sciencepodcast.com